(NewsNation) — The trial for actor Alec Baldwin, who faces a felony involuntary manslaughter charge after the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of his film “Rust,” continues Thursday.
Hutchins’ death nearly three years ago sent shock waves through the film industry. During a rehearsal in October 2021, Baldwin was using a gun meant to be loaded with dummy rounds when he allegedly pointed it at the camera and fired, killing Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza. It’s not clear who brought live rounds onto the set.
Baldwin, who was also a producer on the film, has maintained he did not pull the trigger on the weapon and that it fired by accident. However, FBI analysts disputed this after examining the gun.
The movie’s armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed is currently serving an 18-month prison sentence for involuntary manslaughter. She was the person on set responsible for maintaining and keeping track of weapons used in the movie. Prosecutors alleged she was negligent for not realizing live rounds had been mixed in with a box of dummy rounds.
Lawyers for Gutierrez-Reed argued that producers had failed to keep the set safe and did not hold enough safety meetings. In addition, they said, Baldwin failed to pay attention at firearms safety briefings.
Gutierrez-Reed has appealed and has accused the prosecutors of withholding evidence.
A 16-person jury — 11 women and five men — was selected for the trial, with four of them serving as alternates.
NewsNation’s Alex Caprariello contributed to this report.
